Anna Martin Lee Mathson Middle School Ancient & Medieval World History Appropriate for Grades 6-7 Cross-Cultural Exchange on the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes: A Cooperative Group-work Mini Unit Mini-Unit Objective: Students will analyze the effects of geography on and cultural interchange between Islam and West Africa by examining and creating a creative presentation using primary sources and artifacts relating to trans-Saharan trade and adaptation to the desert. Students will be assessed on their individual primary source analysis and their contributions to the group’s presentation on the element of culture and/or theme of geography assigned. CA Standards: Background: This unit is intended to serve as a capstone for the study of two separate units on the spread of Islam and the trans-Saharan trade empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. Alternatively, it could be used as an exploratory unit bridging those two units. Depending on the number of students and time/resources available, teachers may want to limit the number of cooperative group tasks to fewer than those offered in this unit. Also, if studying ancient history, a selection of just one or two of the cooperative group work activities related to nomadic lifestyle and adaptation to the environment might be used to culminate or begin the study of settled versus nomadic ways of life. Cooperative groups of 4-5 students should be pre-assigned with a heterogeneous grouping intended to mix reading levels, gender, and multiple abilities to best help each other to complete the tasks. If students do not frequently use cooperative groupings, have them complete a short group skill builder, such as creating a team name or finding two commonalities between them to ease group tension and feel comfortable working as a group. Ideally, this unit will be taught after the class has already completed some group skill builders to teach important group work skills. The unit’s design is based on the work of the Program for Complex Instruction at the Stanford University School of Education. Unit Overview: Expected Time: The unit is expected to take 3-5 days depending on the length of class time and on how much background and content was pre-taught during the preceding units on Islam and trans-Saharan trade. More time may be needed to review or pre-teach vocabulary and/or to give adequate time for group discussion of primary source materials. The group presentations are not meant to be polished or labor-intensive, such that giving only one to two periods to create and present them is adequate to show their learning. Day 1 (50 minutes)— Explain that students are going to be working in groups to demonstrate their knowledge of the intersection of Islamic and West African cultures through the trans-Saharan trade. Each group will be given a set of artifacts, photographs, and/or primary source texts to examine and discuss together. Then each student will complete an individual report found in the group’s folder. On the second day, students will work to create the presentation described in their group’s folder relating to the cultural element and/or geographic theme studied by their group the day before. On the third day, groups will present to the rest of the class. Explain that students will be judged individually and as a group and will have a chance to rate themselves and their group members.1 Break students into groups by projecting their new seating and group roles: materials manager, facilitator, summarizer, and harmonizer (if a group has 5 people, separate harmonizer and timekeeper, if only four, give the role of timekeeper to the harmonizer). Groups should be mixed heterogeneously by reading level, multiple abilities, and gender. Have the groups complete a short group skill builder, such as creating a team name or finding two commonalities between them to ease group tension and feel comfortable working as a group. Have the materials manager open the group’s folder and distribute the task card to the facilitator and enable all group members to see the primary sources and any artifacts provided. Have the facilitator read the task card to the group and facilitate having the group read and discuss their sources (on the resource cards and/or objects in the folder/box). Give the timekeeper a head’s up on how much time the group will have until the end of the period and the expectation that by the end of the period the group will have read, discussed, and each completed the individual reports on their group’s topic. 2 As groups work, your job is to check in with groups and listen to their discussions. If a group gets stuck, the harmonizer may raise his/her hand and explain the group’s problem and ask for help. Try to move 1 If this is a capstone to a unit on Islam and West Africa’s trans-Saharan trade, then you do not need to pre-teach any vocabulary or orient the class to the general geography of the area; however, if this is taught as an exploratory unit or if you have a large amount of English learners, you may want to pre-teach or review some key vocabulary terms that will come up for students: environment, adaptation, resource, nomad(ic), Islam, Sahara Desert, Arabic, sub-Saharan, trans-Saharan, Qu’ran, caravan, and trade route. 2 Depending on the skill level of your students and their familiarity with working in groups, consider giving them an additional day to complete the discussion portion of the task. between groups frequently and allow students to do their roles even when you are listening. In the last five to ten minutes in the period, begin collecting the individual reports from the groups, have them put their group folder back in order, and have the summarizer report out to the rest of the class on the group’s progress and/or discussion. Make sure to read and score each individual report using the rubric (Appendix A) before the next day so that all students can get feedback on how they are doing so far and so that you can correct any misconceptions or help groups that are struggling and give them a chance to re-do any incomplete work before moving on to the presentation portion of the group task. Day 2 (50 minute period)— Break students into their groups again, assigning new students to the group roles, so that different students get the chance to do each role. Explain that today each group will be preparing a group presentation described on their activity cards related to their group’s element of culture and/or geographic theme. Show them the rubric you (and they) will be using to score their group’s presentation. Make sure to explain that a key element is making sure that all group members have a role in the presentation. The graded individual reports should be returned in the group folder. Instruct materials managers to pass out the individual reports and determine if the group needs to go back to the sources and keep working on them and revise their individual reports before moving on to the next part of the task. As groups begin working, this is your chance to help any groups that seemed to be struggling based on the quality and completeness of their individual reports from the day before. Groups should spend the remainder of the period, working on creating their group’s presentation task. This includes gathering or creating any props or other materials needed for the presentation the next day or period.3 Provide a materials table or cart with supplies for this, such as markers, glue, tape, scissors, fabric, costumes, different types of paper, cardboard, etc. All materials managers are responsible for (and the only ones allowed to) getting materials from the cart and returning them in an orderly fashion. At the end of the period, make sure each group cleans up, is prepared to present on the following day (or period), and that the summarizer reports out on the progress and needs of the group and whether the group needs any more time to prepare. Based on the needs voiced, adjust the plans for the 3 If you have more than one 50 minute period with the class during the day, consider putting days two and three together so that the presentations can come immediately upon completion of the preparation for them. This will place some time pressure on the groups and allow them to clean up and not need to store any props or use time to re-prepare. presentation period as needed, determining whether more time (or less) is needed to prepare before presenting. Consider having all group members (or groups) complete an exit slip (Appendix B) before leaving where they write what they personally accomplished that day and what their role will be in the presentation. This will allow for you to double check that all groups are ready to present and that each student in the group has a role. Day 3 (50 minute period)— Have the students break into groups, again with new roles, and give 10-15 minutes to prepare to present, including ensuring that all students in the group have a role in the presentation. Check in with all groups and have them move themselves and any props to where the presentations will take place. As each group presents, have the other students not presenting, take notes on the presentation (see provided note- taking sheet; Appendix C) and explain what they learned from the presentation.